YouTube Video Transcript Extractor

Extract subtitles and transcripts from YouTube videos in multiple languages with support for various output formats including SRT, VTT, and timestamped text. Perfect for content analysis, accessibility, education, and research.

Features

• 🎥 Extract transcripts from any YouTube video with available subtitles
• 🌍 Multi-language support with automatic language detection
• 📝 Multiple output formats: Plain text, SRT, VTT, timestamped text
• 🔍 List available languages before extraction
• 📊 Batch processing for all available languages
• ⚡ Fast and reliable subtitle extraction
• 🎯 Flexible filtering by subtitle type (human/auto-generated)

How it Works

1. Input: Provide a YouTube video URL and configuration options
2. Language Detection: Optionally list all available subtitle languages
3. Extraction: Extract transcripts in specified language(s) and format(s)
4. Output: Returns structured data with multiple format options

Input Parameters

Video Input (Choose One)

• Video URL: Full YouTube URL (e.g., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKmqP6-TcWA)

Language Options

• List Available Languages: Check what subtitle languages are available
• Only List Languages: Return available languages without extracting transcripts
• Extract All Languages: Get transcripts in all available languages
• Target Language Code: Specific language to extract (e.g., 'en', 'es', 'fr')

Content Filtering

• Subtitle Type: Choose between default, human-generated only, or auto-generated only
• Translation Preference: Get original language or allow translations

Output Formats

• Include Timestamped Text: Add timestamps to each text segment
• Include SRT Format: Generate standard SRT subtitle files
• Include VTT Format: Generate WebVTT subtitle files
• Include Raw Segments: Include detailed timing data for each segment

Input Example

{
  "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKmqP6-TcWA",
  "listLanguages": true,
  "targetLanguage": "en",
  "subtitleType": "None",
  "includeTimestamps": true,
  "includeSRT": true,
  "includeVTT": true
}

Output Format

Single Language Output

{
  "videoId": "hKmqP6-TcWA",
  "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKmqP6-TcWA",
  "language": "en",
  "languageName": "English (auto-generated)",
  "fullText": "Complete transcript text...",
  "segmentCount": 156,
  "availableLanguages": [
    {
      "id": 0,
      "lang": "en", 
      "name": "English (auto-generated)",
      "autoGenerated": true,
      "isTranslatable": true
    }
  ],
  "timestampedText": "[00:15] First segment text...\n[00:18] Second segment text...",
  "srtFormat": "1\n00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,000\nFirst segment text\n\n2\n...",
  "vttFormat": "WEBVTT\n\n00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,000\nFirst segment text\n\n...",
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"
}

Multiple Languages Output

{
  "videoId": "hKmqP6-TcWA",
  "transcriptCount": 3,
  "totalCharacters": 15420,
  "transcripts": [
    {
      "language": "en",
      "languageName": "English (auto-generated)", 
      "fullText": "English transcript...",
      "segmentCount": 156
    },
    {
      "language": "es",
      "languageName": "Spanish (auto-generated)",
      "fullText": "Spanish transcript...", 
      "segmentCount": 148
    }
  ]
}

Output Formats Explained

Plain Text

• Clean, readable transcript without timing information
• Perfect for content analysis and reading
• Smallest file size and easiest to process

Timestamped Text

• Each segment includes timestamp in [MM:SS] format
• Great for referencing specific moments in videos
• Human-readable with timing context

SRT Format

• Industry-standard subtitle format
• Compatible with most video players and editing software
• Includes precise timing and segment numbering

VTT Format

• Modern web-based subtitle format (WebVTT)
• Supported by HTML5 video players
• Better web compatibility than SRT

Raw Segments

• Complete JSON data with start/end times and duration
• Perfect for programmatic processing
• Includes all available metadata

Performance & Limitations

Performance

• Single Language: 1-5 seconds extraction time
• Multiple Languages: 2-30 seconds depending on language count
• Large Videos: Processing time scales with subtitle count, not video length

Limitations

• Only works with videos that have available subtitles/captions
• Some videos may have restricted subtitle access
• Auto-generated subtitles may have accuracy limitations

Advanced Usage

Extract All Languages

{
  "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example",
  "listLanguages": true,
  "fetchAllLanguages": true,
  "includeSRT": true,
  "includeVTT": true
}

Language Discovery Only

{
  "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example",
  "listLanguages": true,
  "onlyListLanguages": true
}

Specific Language with All Formats

{
  "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example",
  "targetLanguage": "es",
  "includeTimestamps": true,
  "includeSRT": true,
  "includeVTT": true,
  "includeSegments": true
}